Home › Injury Help Center › Work Injuries
Use this guide to report and document a workplace injury, ask about authorized medical care, preserve restrictions and wage records, respond to delays or denials, and use current official state resources.
Get emergency help for uncontrolled bleeding, trouble breathing, loss of consciousness, confusion or inability to wake, a suspected head or spine injury, a seizure, a worsening headache, repeated vomiting, weakness or numbness, or rapidly worsening symptoms. This is not a diagnostic list. Follow emergency personnel and treating clinicians.
MedlinePlus emergency guidance · CDC head-injury danger signs
Reviewed for legal accuracy by Ted A. Greve, Attorney
July 19, 2026
Emergency care comes first. Then create a short, dated record through the employer’s appropriate reporting process as soon as practical.
Provider selection, authorization, notice, and claim-filing rules differ by state and circumstances.
Call 911 for immediate danger or a medical emergency. Tell the medical provider that the injury occurred at work and describe how it happened and what symptoms you are experiencing accurately.
Notify a supervisor, manager, owner, on-site nurse, human-resources contact, or designated reporting channel. A conversation with only a coworker may not complete the employer’s process.
Record the date, time, location, task, equipment or condition involved, body areas affected, witnesses, who received the report, and when it was delivered. Keep a copy and delivery confirmation.
Save photographs, video, equipment information, work orders, schedules, training or safety communications, witness contact details, and relevant texts or emails that you may lawfully access.
“I am reporting that I was injured at work on [date] at approximately [time] while [brief factual task or event]. I reported it to [name or role] on [date and time]. The body areas and symptoms I currently notice are [brief description]. Please confirm the correct claim-reporting and authorized-care process.”
This example is a general organizational aid, not a substitute for a required state form or individualized legal advice.
Emergency circumstances, provider selection, referrals, authorizations, and return-to-work rules vary by state and claim posture. Use the employer or carrier process and current official instructions.
People who need lower-cost care can also review the HRSA health-center finder. This is not a recommendation of a particular provider and does not determine workers’ compensation authorization or payment.
Keep the medical instruction and the employment record together. A verbal description can be difficult to reconstruct later.
Keep every restriction, no-work note, release, referral, and later change. Record when and how it was delivered to the employer or carrier and who received it.
Save pay stubs, schedules, timecards, missed shifts, reduced hours, overtime, commissions, bonuses, tips, used leave, and any wage or disability payment statement.
Request the proposed job, duties, hours, pay, location, start date, supervisor, physical requirements, and how the work fits the written medical restrictions. Raise conflicts promptly and in writing.
Record every call, email, text, letter, appointment, authorization request, payment, denial, and unanswered question. Save attachments and proof of delivery.
Keep the record organized and use current official agency instructions. A work event can also involve a separate claim against someone outside the employer.
Do not rely on a copied deadline, form number, provider-selection rule, or benefit calculation. Read the current agency page and obtain legal advice about how it applies to your facts.
A focused review can help identify the reporting path, available records, overlapping claims, and decisions that may affect care, income, or future rights.
Related help: Start at the Injury Help Center, follow the car-accident guide, or review the insurance guide. North Carolina readers can also review the workers’ compensation claims process and job-protection FAQ. See what representation may include after hiring a lawyer.
Tell the intake team what happened, when and where it happened, what treatment you have received, and who has contacted you about the work injury or claim. Sending a form or speaking with intake does not by itself create an attorney-client relationship. If representation is offered, attorney-fee and case-cost terms are explained in a written agreement before you decide.
These answers are general. A qualified professional must evaluate the facts of a particular medical, insurance, employment, or legal question.
Report through the appropriate supervisor, manager, owner, nurse, human-resources contact, or designated process as soon as practical and create a dated written record. A coworker may not be the person authorized to receive notice.
Get emergency care first. Tell the provider the injury happened at work and notify the employer through the appropriate channel at the earliest practical opportunity.
The answer differs by state, emergency circumstances, authorization, and claim posture. Ask the employer or carrier for the current process and consult the official state agency or a qualified lawyer when unclear.
Get the duties, hours, pay, location, and medical restrictions in writing. Return-to-work rules and benefit consequences vary. Raise conflicts promptly and get individualized advice before refusing work or exceeding restrictions.
